


Morningrise

by schwarzesloch



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Erwin smith appreciation fic by Levi, Ficlet, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Levi's in Love, M/M, Old Men In Love, Short & Sweet, but srsly he loves erwin sO MUCH, eruri - Freeform, honestly thats what this is about, i can't believe this actually exists now, im sorry, old men yaois, so head over heels for the bae, you can't argue with that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-01
Updated: 2015-10-01
Packaged: 2018-04-24 06:03:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4908148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/schwarzesloch/pseuds/schwarzesloch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There’s a smile right there, reserved for Levi only: the smile of a man that dressed himself down to be loved and has no regrets about his decision.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Morningrise

**Author's Note:**

> chapter 72 left me an emotional trainwreck so i basically tried to fix that with some shameless super self-indulgent eruri fluff <3
> 
> (i haven't written anything in a long time so this may sound really weird and chopped-off in some parts ;_; also, if you encounter any mistakes please let me know, this wasn't beta-ed) 
> 
> hope you enjoy little sunflowers u3u

 

Sun coming in, through the hooded window; the day peaks through, gently hushing them back to reality. Erwin is still sound asleep by his side, tall body pressing against his narrow back, his only arm lazily draped over Levi's waist.

 

Like this. He likes to be like this, he thinks. Lying down, no walls between them. Safe in the warmth of the shared bed, of the dimly lit bedroom that slowly comes back to life as the sun rises outside. It’s a place where he knows they can be free. Where they toss aside their uniforms and the hope painted on their back. Where they’re two men of bare flesh and bone hoping to make it to the next day.

 

Levi turns to face Erwin. His blonde hair is disheveled by the routinely toss-and-turning in the middle of the night, but there are no creases of concern on his brow, just some wrinkles pooling around his closed eyelids. An intrusive sun ray casts its eerie light on Levi's eyes.  Levi doesn’t flinch; he remains an observer, a voyeur of his own reality, taking in the purple shadows on the bottom half of Erwin’s face, the sun slowly breathing new life into the golden locks, the content expression on his sleepy face. He thinks ,, this man is more than anything he wished for, more than anything he hoped for' -- yet here he is, lying next to him, unprotected, human. Vulnerable.

 

It’s a delicate privilege, Levi’s not sure he can quite take care of it the ideal way, but everyday he tries; everyday is a blessing, a new chance to make things right.

 

Erwin slowly rubs the sleep out of his eyes with his one hand, but refuses to open them. His stooped arm twitches by his side, but Erwin is still tired from everything, and doesn’t bother fighting a fight that can never be won. It doesn't matter in moments like this, anyway.

 

Levi takes notice and props himself up on the bed, leaning against dirty white pillows, eyes focusing solely on the large man still lying by his side, sleepy head pressed into Levi’s slim torso. Then a little song of love knocks on his chest, an involuntarily smile springs into his lips, and he doesn’t contain it. He feels his whole body purring, glowing with a light that could never have been his on his own.

 

He owes so much to Erwin, so much of himself.

 

He has shed light on Levi’s darkest corners, has made him the most complete he has been in years.

 

In his whole life.

 

Him and his life and what he’s done - nothing of it would have been possible if not for this man, this man, whose skin is as fragile as any other skin, whose eyelids are as soft as every flower petal, whose fears and worries are as real, although carefully concealed, as any other real thing.

 

He’s no myth - he’s just a man with his scars and his flaws, and he’s here, humble human in form, breathing by his side, slowly being lulled into awakening by persistent daylight. Levi’s hand comes up, hovering over the commander’s face, projected shadow in darker, blueish shades of purple. His fingertips ghost over a high cheekbone, thumb light as a feather pressing into the hollow curve before Erwin’s nose. Erwin twitches a little under his touch, but doesn’t seem disturbed so he proceeds, leaning down to press the softest kiss he can muster on his commander’s eyelids, left first, then right. 

 

Summer-blue eyes look up at him in adoration as he pulls away, not a trace of previous worries, no battle lines painted on his face, just him. There’s a smile right there, reserved for Levi only: the smile of a man that dressed himself down to be loved and has no regrets about his decision.  

 

They’ve made it real, survived under the impending doom that permanently casts its shadow over them. _They’ve made it for today_ , he bitterly reminds himself. He knows better than to let the morning light and all its unspoken promises blind him. The world outside has no time, no place for soft words, for love gestures. 

 

The war wages on, and they’ll keep fighting. Levi knows that as long as Erwin is by his side, it’s easier for him to believe they’ll come through. For that spark of hope, which he thought he had given up on so long ago, softly breathed into him over time, he is eternally grateful.

 


End file.
